O'Reiley Sega: BLIND FAITH
by mrjop2
Summary: A violent accident will rob Helena's vision just as she is marked for death by an old nemesis! Barbara discoveres that Dinah has hidden powers still locked up inside of her, which could make her the most powerful and perhaps dangerous meta-human New Gotha
1. Helena's Tragidy

THE FOLLOWING STORY IS NOT MEANT TO INFRINGE ON ANY COPYRIGHT LAW SET BY WARNER BROTHERS. THIS IS MEANT FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSE AND FOR MY CONTRIBUTION IN WANTING TO SEE THE TELEVISION SERIES BROUGHT BACK. IF YOU ARE A FAN OF BIRDS OF PREY AND YOU ARE UPSET ABOUT IT'S CANCELLATION, VISIT THE WEB SITE www.birdsofpreyonline.com. THIS IS STORY 5 OF A NEW SEGA CONTINUING WHERE DEVIL EYES LEFT OFF.  
  
Birds of Prey  
  
The Commissioner O'Reiley Series  
  
STORIES IN THE COMMISSIONER O'REILEY SERIES:  
  
Episode 1: Huntress the Hunted Part 1  
  
Episode 2: Huntress the Hunted Part 2  
  
Episode 3: Nightwing  
  
Episode 4: Walking on Air  
  
  
  
Episode 5  
  
Blind Faith  
  
CHAPTER 1  
  
Helena jumped high in the air and spin kicked Inferno across the face, sending him crashing into the brick wall behind him. Helena was up against a meta-human who had the power to shoot fire from his hands, and/or eyes. She knew he had to be stopped soon or he would set all of New Gotham on fire. Inferno looked at Helena with murder in his eyes. With a flick of his hands flames fired at Helena. She barely leaped over the flames in time.   
  
Inferno laughed as he began to raise the beam of fire from his hand to hit Helena in mid air, but the next thing he knew, he found a boot in his face, having kicked him across the face, sending him tumbling to his right. Dinah stood there and flicked her hand in the same way he did. Instead of fire, an invisible force sent him flying, crashing into a dumpster.  
  
"Good move, Dinah!" Barbara said over her ear piece. "Remember, you two are partners. You fight together. Never try to do it by yourselves."  
  
"This duo thing will take some getting used to," Helena said.  
  
"It will, but I don't think it'll take you two too long to get adjusted and learn each others capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses."  
  
Inferno stared at Dinah and an intense red flaming beam shot out from the blacks of his eyes. Dinah stuck out the palm of her hand and formed an invisible field which reflected upward.  
  
The Huntress leaped at Inferno, hoping to catch him off guard. But he saw her from the corner of his eyes and caught her ankle and threw her down onto her back. Inferno leaped up and landed on top of the dumpster behind him. While Helena recovered herself, Dinah used her powers to shove the dumpster right from underneath him, sending him crashing to the ground.  
  
Helena wanted to pick Inferno up by his shirt, but before she could, a shield of fire shot up from the ground surrounding him, forcing Helena back with the intense heat. The flames went down when Inferno was back on his feet.  
  
"You've got to lead him somewhere near water," Barbara told the two girls.  
  
"Oh yea, ponds are readily available in the middle of a metropolis city like New Gotham. The New Gotham Park is only ten miles away. Maybe I can talk to him and convince him to take a walk there with us," Helena replied sarcastically.  
  
Inferno grinned towards the two women. "Let's spice things up here, shall we?" He pointed one hand to each of the two women and released a blanket of fire at the both of them. Dinah again formed a giant invisible field that stretched long enough to protect both of them from the blanket of fire.  
  
He had them pinned down. He continued to pour out fire on them, and was not going to stop until they were dead. Helena struggled to see Inferno through the flames, but she could swear that she saw a window behind him. "Dinah, can you throw this fire back towards him?"  
  
"Fire doesn't bother him, Helena?" Barbara reminded Helena.  
  
"I have an idea," Helena replied as she looked at Dinah and nodded towards Inferno. Dinah looked closely at Inferno and didn't see what Helena was trying to point out. Through the flames, Dinah looked behind Inferno and saw a window, and it was at that moment, she knew what Helena was thinking. Dinah concentrated and reflected the fire back in Inferno's direction.   
  
He laughed as the fire raced past him, and as they expected, the flames didn't leave a singed mark on him. The fire hit the window and the pressure of the fire caused the window to shatter. The flames raced through the window, and the fire alarm began to sound. The sprinkler system turned on and Dinah used her power to form an invisible slide for the water to pour down on Inferno. The fire went out instantly as he yelled in anger.  
  
Helena jumped into action kicking Inferno in the chest. Helena reached out and grabbed him by his left arm and swung him into the brick wall just next to the window which had been shattered. "It looks like you're all washed up," Helena smiled.  
  
"I'm not done yet," Inferno said, this time with a serious face. The confidence he once had of being able to kill Helena and Dinah was gone. The confidence had turned to determination. He went to punch Helena to break her nose, but she caught his wrist and twisted it. He yelped in pain as his body was force to bend down. She kicked him upward in the face, causing him to slam his head on the brick wall behind him.  
  
Helena brought her right elbow behind her head, forming a fist to finish this fight with a powerful knockout punch. She brought her fist in as Inferno quickly raised his hand, putting the palm of his hand in front of her face. Her fist was just about to make contact as a fire ball formed in the palm of his hand and released it. The fire ball exploded in Helena's face as she delivered the knockout blow, throwing Inferno to the ground.  
  
Helena fell to the ground, screaming in agony. "My eyes!"  
  
Dinah ran to Helena who was rolling on the ground, covering her face. "Oh my god, Helena, are you alright?"  
  
"Crap, it hurts!  
  
Dinah could see none of her face, but she could see the side of her face, and she knew Helena was hurt bad. The side of her face was dark red and blistery and black soot mixed in. "Oracle, we've got a problem! Helena's hurt!"  
  
"How bad? What happened? I lost video feed from Helena's contacts?"  
  
"It looks serious. She took a fire explosion straight in her face. I don't think I can get her to the clock tower on my own."  
  
"Okay, I'm contacting Reese. Try to get Helena to a safe place."  
  
"I'll do my best." 


	2. End of the Birds?

CHAPTER 2  
  
Reese was sitting on a stool in the kitchen on top of the second floor. Dinah could not sit still waiting for Barbara to come out of the bedroom to report on Helena's condition. Alfred had served Reese a glass of coke and offered the same to Dinah but she didn't say a word, just shook her head. "You know it's not your fault, Dinah." Reese said to Dinah.  
  
Dinah did not reply. She continued to prance back and forth, chewing on her right index finger nail. After what seemed like an eternity, Barbara came rolling out of Helena's and Dinah's bedroom where Dinah had met her face to face. "Her face, especially around the eyes has been burned pretty bad. There was some damage to her eyes. I tried to repair the damage, but I am not a doctor and have limited recourses."  
  
"Oh my god, she's blind?" Dinah began to shake, barely able to keep herself from collapsing.  
  
"Calm down, Dinah. It's too early to tell. First of all, I am confident that I did as good of a job as most doctors under this circumstance, and they could not have done much better. Her eyes are wrapped up, and should stay wrapped up for 48 hours. Afterwards, we will unwrap her eyes and we will know the extent of the damage."  
  
"You mean, we'll know instantly if she's going to be blind for the rest of her life or will have hope of regaining her sight back," Reese said.  
  
"Basically," Barbara replied. "Reese, you want to see her? She's in bed and resting, but she is awake."  
  
Reese nodded and walked past her and Dinah and entered the darkened room. Dinah turned around and made her way into the kitchen. Barbara could feel the turmoil that Dinah was in. She followed her into the kitchen. "You know that what happened to Helena is not your fault."  
  
"Yea, I've heard that rumor before," Dinah replied taking a glass and putting it under the kitchen faucet. "I was her partner, and I let her down. What was I thinking, wanting to become a superhero. Some superhero I turned out to be."  
  
"No, Dinah. You were outstanding out there. You did everything right, I was highly impressed with your performance out there on your first partnership outing."  
  
"If I was such a good partner, then how come Helena is lying in bed, with the possibility of never regaining her sight again? I could have done something to help."  
  
"Dinah, there was nothing you could have done. Every time you two go out there, there is a danger of something like happening to one of you. Helena knew that risk. To win a confrontation with any villain, it takes fifty percent strategic planning, thirty percent strength and twenty percent luck. Helena just fell victim to falling onto the wrong side of the odds."  
  
Dinah fought the urge to break out in the tears. She could not help but feel guilty for what happened to Helena. Despite what Barbara tried to do, she still felt responsible for what had happened. "Did Helena mention me at all? Is she upset at me?"  
  
"She's not mad at you. She knows that you could have done nothing to help her."  
  
* * * *  
  
Reese entered the darkened room. The only light coming into the room was the light from the outside. On the right was Dinah's neatly kept bed. On the left side of the room, was a shadowy figure, who's legs were under the covers, but the figure was sitting up and leaning back on the wall. To the right of the bed, on a chair were her Huntress clothes. She was wearing her normal plain white tank top that she usually wore as pajama's. "Who's there?"  
  
"It's me, Helena," Reese said as he sat on the side of her bed. She had a thick piece of cotton covering both eyes and a white bandage wrapped around her eyes and her head several times to keep the cotton in place. "How are you doing?"  
  
"I've been better," her voice was deeply horse as if she was in the middle of the flu.  
  
Reese grabbed her right hand and held it in is. "How's the pain?"  
  
"It's subsiding," Helena replied. "God, I'm so stupid. I should have seen it coming. I got overconfident."  
  
"Dinah seems to blame herself for what happened to you. She was talking like she is contemplating quitting the superhero business."  
  
"Is she crazy? She was outstanding out there. She did everything perfectly. This was not her fault."  
  
"I think Barbara is trying to explain that to her," Reese replied. "Anyway, I'm glad that you are okay."  
  
"Okay? I may be blind for the rest of my life! I wouldn't call that 'okay'." Helena said, starting to get restless and agitated.  
  
"Okay, you're right, I'm sorry. Don't get riled up, right now. You need to rest." Reese said. "But let me say this, don't you give up. I don't want to hear you say that you are going to be blind. You are on a hiatus right now. In a few days, you'll be back defending New Gotham."  
  
For the first time in a while, a hint of a smile appeared on Helena's face. "Come here and kiss me, already." Reese laughed as he slid in closer to Helena, place his right hand on her face, and directed her face to where he could lean forward and kissed her across the lips.  
  
"Ahem," A voice came from the doorway. Reese sat up and looked back to see Dinah standing there. "It's Dinah," Reese whispered into Helena's ear.  
  
"Hey, Dinah."  
  
Dinah entered the room nervously. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"I'll be fine. I am glad you came in. I just wanted to let you know that you did you a great job out there tonight."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes, I will be glad to continue having you as a partner."  
  
"But I failed to stop this from happening to you. How good of a partner can I possibly be?"  
  
"Dinah, what happened to me was a freak accident, nothing more, and besides…"  
  
"Maybe you're right, you'll regain your eyesight. I guess I was kind of afraid for the worst."  
  
Reese looked at Dinah confused about what she had just said. Helena titled her head, also confused at what she had said. "I'm right about what?"  
  
Now it was Dinah's turn to be confused. "What? You just said that you are sure that you will regain your eyesight after the 48 hours are up, and I agreed with you. I'm sorry to intrude on you two, I let you two be alone."  
  
Dinah turned around and walked out of the room, leaving the two of them alone. "What just happened? Did I miss something? You never told her that you were sure that you" Reese asked looking at Helena.  
  
"I don't know?" Helena replied. "I was just about to use those exact words, but I never got the chance."  
  
"How did she know what you were about to say?"  
  
"Just luck, I suppose. Must have heard the same thing from Barbara." 


	3. Learning Process

CHAPTER 3  
  
"Walk…walk…keep on walking." Barbara guided Helena by the sound of her voice. Helena was taking her first baby steps alone out of her room towards the railing. Her hands were waving in front of her, trying to find the railing but so far she felt nothing. It was a very nerve wracking experience walking without being able to see where she was going.   
  
Reese was close behind her, in case she had tripped and fell. "You're almost to the railing, Helena. Take two more normal steps."  
  
Helena took a normal step when she tripped on something on the floor. She began to fell forward when Reese caught her. "Damn it!" Helena cursed.  
  
"It's okay, Helena! It's going to take some time to adjust."  
  
"There's got to be a better way. I refuse to trip over everything that's on the floor."  
  
"Perhaps this will do, Master Helena!" Alfred approached Helena with a walking stick.   
  
Alfred took Helena's hands and placed it in the palm of her hand. Helena wrapper her fingers around it and slid her right hand up and down the stick. "A stick?"  
  
"Yes, a walking stick, Master Helena. You use it to feel what's on the floor before you trip."  
  
"Oh, for a minute there, I thought it was for beating the crap out of the bad guys while I'm in this condition."  
  
"I'm glad to see you in good spirits, however there is no way you are going to go out and do crime fighting in this condition. Now, you are a few feet away from the railing. See how that walking stick works for you."  
  
Reese helped her position the stick. She didn't show it, but it was already starting to get to her that she was so dependant on Reese even for the simplest things like positioning a walking stick in her hands. When the stick was in position, she rubbed the floor with the walking stick. Helena took a step forward when she felt nothing in front of her. As soon as she had taken the step, she felt the stick reflect off something metal. "The railing?"  
  
"Yes, Helena," Reese replied.  
  
Helena raised her walking stick to find the top of the railing. "No, Helena. The stick is only meant to help you find a path without tripping. You can hurt someone sticking the walking the stick high up. All you have to do is walk up to the railing and reach out with your hand."  
  
"How the hell am I suppose to know where the railing pole is? I can miss it and hit the railing, and… let's just say I don't want to become a pancake."  
  
"You will learn distance by where your pole is reflected."  
  
"The hell with that, I don't plan to learn how to live life blind. When this wrapping is taken off, life is going back to normal."  
  
"I hope you are right, Helena, I really do, but until then, I don't think you will want us waiting on you hand and foot."  
  
Barbara was right, she hated relying on others this much. It would kill her to be totally reliant. Helena stepped out with a leap of faith; blind faith. She swiped the bottom of the railing one last time before stepping out with her hand stretched out. Out of no where, she felt the coldness of the railing pricking her fingers. She wrapped her hand and around the railing pole.  
  
"You got it."  
  
Barbara and Reese may be enthusiastic about this accomplishment, but their enthusiasm made her sick to her stomach. How can she be happy by a pathetic thing like walking to a railing?  
  
"What's wrong, Helena?" Reese asked. The direction of his voice was no longer behind her but by her side. It appeared that he was reading her reaction. "This is a big step for you.   
  
"A big step? Pardon me if I'm not overjoyed about walking a few steps. It's really the highlight of my life."  
  
"Helena, I know what you must be going through…"  
  
"Like hell you do!" Helena snapped. "You don't know what it's like seeing nothing but black. I can't do anything on my own without help! I've tried to convince myself that this is temporary, but let's face it, there's a chance that it's not."  
  
"Helena, I may not know what it's like to see nothing but darkness, but I know all to well what's it's like being helpless and not being able to do anything without assistance." Barbara rolled her wheelchair up to Helena. "I went through this seem feeling that you right now when I thought I would never walk again. I've been given a second chance, but that second chance has not been just handed to me. I am having to work my ass off, exercising, trying to rehabilitate myself. You've got to fight as hard as you can, right now, and don't give up. You will get your sight back."  
  
Helena's voice began to crack. "This is driving me insane. I only walked a few steps from the room, and that's a major accomplishment? I have to relearn everything I've known since I was a baby."  
  
"Trust me, Helena, I know how frustrating the learning process is, especially during the first few weeks. Hopefully you will not have to go through this for that long."  
  
"So how about it? You want to continue?" Reese asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
Helena sighed, thinking about what Barbara had said. "Let's do it," Her reply was less than enthusiastic.  
  
"Very good," Barbara said. "Now, you do have one advantage is that you were not born blind so you have a good idea about approximately where things are. You remember which direction the kitchen is in?"  
  
"It's to my left," Helena replied.  
  
"Exactly. That is where you are going to go now. Do you remember how many steps it took to get you from your room to where you are now?"  
  
"Twenty something," Helena replied. "I'm sorry, I can't remember exactly."  
  
"Don't worry about it, you will get another chance. From now on, walk at a steady, consistent pace and remember how many steps it takes to get you where you want to go. This will help you know where you are and how far it is to get to where you want to go."  
  
Helena thought this whole thing was stupid, then again it made sense why she had to do this. She sighed as she took her first step towards the kitchen, counting each step she took on the way. 


	4. A Visit From a Friend

CHAPTER 4  
  
Reese entered the Dark Horse to find the bar hopping. The last time he was here, it was still called No Man's Land, and a young man named Gibson worked here. From what Helena had told him, Gibson and moved out of New Gotham. Now, named the Dark Horse, this bar, still meant for only meta-humans, was owned and worked by Helena's best friend, Danielle, who was also the newest member to the hero team. She was more of the informant to help Helena and Dinah fight crime, though she had the skills that could give Helena a run for the money.  
  
The bar was rather quiet this night so it wasn't hard for Danielle to see him enter the bar. She was drying a glass when she saw him enter the bar, "Detective Reese!" she smiled as she put the glass away. "What bring you in here?"  
  
"Just passing by," Reese said as approached the bar.  
  
"So how's Helena? I haven't seen or heard from her for over twenty-four hour, I was beginning to worry about her?"  
  
"There was an accident. Some villain with the power of fire caused a fire bomb of some sort to explode in Helena's face. Her eyes have been repaired, and bandaged up, but we are still waiting to see if she will be able to see or not."  
  
"Why didn't anyone call me?" Danielle said angrily. "Okay everyone, the bar is closed tonight! Family emergency; drinks are on the house! Please make your way out the front door!" Danielle yelled.   
  
There were mumbles and groans from the customers, but they slowly stood from their seat and made their way out of the bar. "Calm down, Danielle. I'll take you to see her, but I need some information that maybe you may or may not have. Do you know anything about a meta-human who calls himself Inferno?"  
  
"Inferno?" Danielle looked at him confusingly. "As far as I know, there is no one by that name, alive at least."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"I've done research for Oracle about the days of Batman. One of the enemies he used to fight was named Fire Fly, but he was not meta-human. He used blow torches and protected himself by fire-resistant metal armor. In the late days, while Batman confronted him, an accident was thought to kill Fire Fly in a chemical explosion. Instead, it gave him natural powers to control fire and not be burned by flames without his armor. He changed his name from Fire Fly to Inferno.  
  
"Batman confronted Inferno once, but he was killed, falling of a bridge. His body was found and was buried. His death is for real. There is no way the person she was fighting was Inferno."  
  
"Strange," Reese said under his breath. This definitely had to be told to Barbara. "Anyway, if you are ready, let's head back to the clock tower."  
  
* * * *  
  
"Fifteen…sixteen…damn!" Helena was counting her steps from the platform to the steps leading to the second level but she had miscalculated and tripped on the bottom step. She fell on top the steps, banging her knee on the corner of one of the steps. She felt a warm trickle of blood on her knee cap. "Great!"  
  
"Master Helena, are you alright?" Alfred said walking down the spiral stairs. Barbara came rolling over from the other side of the platform when she heard Helena swore.  
  
"Yea, I'm fine." Helena turned herself around to sit on the bottom step.  
  
"I'll go get the first aid kit," Barbara said, turning her wheelchair around.  
  
The door opened and in walked Reese. "I'm back!"  
  
"Over here, Reese," Helena said, feeling stupid about having tripped and cut her knee open. Now, Reese was going to come over and fuss over her. That was the last thing she was in the mood for.  
  
Alfred climbed back up the stairs to continue his work in the kitchen seeing that he was not needed here. Reese followed where he heard the voice, with Danielle following. He found Helena sitting on the bottom step of the spiral stairs, with a rip in her pants at the kneecap with blood trickling from her knee. "What happened?"  
  
"Tried to count my steps from the platform to the stairwell," Helena replied.  
  
"I brought someone who wanted to see you."  
  
"How are you doing, Helena?" Danielle said kneeling down besides Helena.  
  
"Danielle? It's good to hear your voice. I am going mad."  
  
Reese left the two of them alone to talk and walked up the platform where Barbara had found the first aid kit. She and Dinah were there looking through the first aid kit, trying to find the right size bandage. "Hi Reese," Barbara said looking up at him briefly.  
  
"Barbara I've got some news and information you may be interested in knowing. Inferno, who Dinah and Helena were fighting has not been found. It's been fourteen hours since the fight, and there is no sign of him. He is still at large."  
  
"I can take care of Inferno," Dinah suggested.  
  
"Not alone, you don't. You did very well, but you are not ready to go solo. I will go with you," Barbara said, closing the first aid kit.  
  
"Will that device of yours work when you have use of your legs already?"  
  
"Of course it will if not better. I am almost able to stand without holding onto the bars. With a few adjustments, I can adjust it to a lower level," Barbara answered.  
  
"Anyway, I talked to Danielle, and she has told me some things about Inferno that I am surprised that you never picked up on."  
  
"Really?" Barbara looked up at him with a surprised look.  
  
"Batman confronted Inferno, who used to be known as Fire Fly. He fell off a bridge and was killed. He's buried at New Gotham cemetery."  
  
"All truth be told, I was paying more attention to Dinah's first outing with Helena, I never even bothered trying to find out who Inferno was, and with Helena's accident, I never got around to it. I'm glad to see Danielle has been doing the homework I've been assigning her."  
  
"So what does this all mean? If we were not fighting Inferno, who were we fighting?"  
  
At that moment, Delphi sounded off an alarm. Barbara turned her wheel chair around and went over to Delphi and began punching on the keyboard. "Strange, Delphi has picked up activity at New Gotham Cemetery. It happened several days ago, according to the police record."  
  
"Several days ago? Why is Delphi pick something up that is several days old?" Dinah asked.  
  
"It appears a grave has been dug up, and the police has just been notified."  
  
"Yuck!" Dinah said. "This is one mission I wouldn't mind passing up on," Dinah felt her stomach turn, just thinking about seeing the remains of a human body.  
  
"No, Dinah, you and I are going to check it out. I have a feeling, this has something to do with Inferno." 


	5. At the Gravesite

CHAPTER 5  
  
Barbara were using her invention to allow her to have full use of her legs, however she looked forward to the near future where here little invention would not be needed any longer. For the first time in a long while, she was wearing her batgirl suit, but it made Dinah very uncomfortable being around her wearing that ridiculous costume. Why couldn't she be more like Helena and herself and just go out the way she was? Helena and Dinah never hid themselves in costumes.  
  
The two of them had snuck into the graveyard without anyone noticing. Barbara had a hand held device that was wirelessly connected to Delphi to help her pinpoint where the excavated grave was.  
  
"According to Delphi, the grave should be in this direction," Barbara said, pointing a gloved finger in the direction Delphi was pointing.  
  
"So who do I call you: Oracle or Batgirl?" Dina smirked towards Barbara.  
  
"You really do not like my costume, do you?" Barbara said looking to Dinah.  
  
"It is kind of embarrassing," Dinah admitted.  
  
"You would have totally hated Bruce's costume then." The two women walked to the heart of grave site to find a casket dug out from under the ground in front of a tombstone. That was what they were looking for. Dinah stopped, a few feet from the casket, causing Barbara to take two steps beyond her before she realized that Dinah had stopped. "What's wrong, Dinah?"  
  
"I'm not going any closer to that casket. I'm freaked out as it is." Barbara laughed as she stepped up to the coffin. The skeletal remains were still there. Nothing seemed to be missing from the coffin. "Nothing seems to be missing."  
  
"That's what I was afraid of," Dinah said. She refused to go near that coffin. The thoughts of seeing a decomposing body made her stomach turned. How Barbara was able to handle it was beyond her.  
  
Barbara turned and stepped up to the tombstone to get a closer look. "Well, according to the tombstone, this is Fire Fly/Inferno. It appears that he is dead after all."  
  
"Then who did Helena and I fight with yesterday?"  
  
"This is extremely puzzling. Nothing adds up, unless…" Her train of though was interrupted by a loud thump. Barbara turned around to find Dinah lying unconscious on the ground. Standing above her was the man in question, Inferno.  
  
"You are just too damn smart," he said with an evil grin. "Nothing gets by the all knowing Oracle. Nice costume. Who should I call you: Oracle, Bat Girl, or Barbara Gordon." Inferno body began to take on a new shape. Barbara ripped her mask off, now knowing full well who she was up against. Now standing before her was a female form, with blood red hair. Just seeing her made her feel the scar on her forehead from the time she crashed her face into one of Delphi's computer screens. "Raven. I should have known. This is why you dug up Inferno's flames, so you can come in contact with it and become hom. You blinded Huntress intentionally!"  
  
"Oh, very good, Barbara. Indeed, I am impressed."  
  
"Why go through all this?"  
  
"That's a reasonable question with a very good answer, since I could have kicked her ass any time of day. She killed my husband. She saw fit to make me suffer, so I am going to make her suffer. First, I took away her sight. Next I will make both you and Dinah suffer by watching me destroy Huntress before I kill you two. Call this, a little warning to hand to Huntress. She better watch her back, because I'm coming for her, and I know where the three of you live. I have broken through your security twice before, and I can do it again just as easy."  
  
"Over my dead body am I going to allow you to hurt Huntress," Barbara growled at her.  
  
"No, not over your dead body; just your crippled body," Raven leaped at Barbara, sticking out her right foot to kick Barbara across the face, but she crossed her wrists in front of her face to reflect the kick. When she landed, Raven went in with violent kicks and swings. Barbara used her arms and occasionally one of her knee caps to block the attack. Barbara back flipped, and while in motion, her feet kicked Raven under the shin on the way up and over the other side, allowing Barbara to land back on her feet.  
  
"Not bad for a crippled woman. Your little invention is quite nifty," Raven said rubbing her chin from that upper cut kick. "Hi ya!" Barbara yelled as she leaped, bringing her right fist behind her, planning to deliver a hard punch in her face. When she was close enough, she brought her fist forward in full force.   
  
Raven stepped aside, reached out and grabbed her arm while still in mid air. She violently pulled on Barbara's arm, causing her to flip and come crashing onto her back, still with Barbara's arm in hand. Barbara yelped in pain. That was not good for her spine to say the least.  
  
Keeping her hold onto Barbara's arm, she leaped over her, causing Barbara to roll onto her stomach. Swiftly, she raised her left leg, heel facing down and brought her heel down, dead center into Barbara's back, where her device was. Barbara again yelped in pain from the hit, but even worst that that, the device allowing Barbara to walk had been destroyed. She was once again back to the limited use of her legs. Barbara tried her best to crawl away from Raven but she stepped in front of Barbara's path. "Pathetic. No wonder why it is so easy to kick Huntress's ass. Twice I had her in position for the kill, and twice I spared her, just for the hell of it. Believe me when I say, this next time, there will be no mercy to be found."  
  
* * * *   
  
Barbara opened her eyes to find herself back at the clock tower. Alfred was nursing her bruise over her right eye brow. Sitting next to her was Dinah, who had a ice pack held to the back of her head. "What happened?"  
  
"I was hoping you would be able to tell us," a familiar voice came up from behind her.   
  
She turned her head to see Richard Greyson kneeling besides her. "Richard!" she wrapped her arms around him. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I heard about what happened to Helena and about your regaining the use of your legs. What were you thinking about going out as Batgirl? You have been away from it for too long, you can't just continue where you left off. "  
  
Barbara sighed, knowing he was right. It would take years of training to get back to where she once was before being paralyzed, and right she was just to old to begin training once again. She had thought regaining the use of her legs would give her back the life she once lived, but she was only deceiving herself. Never again would she walk the earth as Batgirl. "I'm beginning to realize that. So how did Dinah and I get back here?"  
  
"That was me," Richard replied.   
  
"So what's the deal with Inferno?" Helena asked.  
  
"We've got a serious problem on our hands. The person you and Dinah were fighting was not Inferno, he has long dead."  
  
"Then who the hell was it?" Helena said agitatedly.   
  
"Helena, It's Raven."  
  
"Son of a bitch!" Helena spat.  
  
"Did I miss something? Who's Raven?"  
  
"She's a powerful shape shifting Meta-human," Dinah replied, remembering full well that she had broken her nose in their last encounter and caused her a month of agony.  
  
"Like Clay Face?"  
  
"Similar to Clay face, but more dangerous. She not only can change her appearance, but she obtains her host's powers and fighting skills."  
  
"Does she keep their powers?"  
  
"No, she only has the powers while she is morphed into the host. When she morphs, her powers and abilities morph with her. This makes her one of the most dangerous villains we have ever come across."  
  
"She's the one that attacked you and Dinah?" Richard asked.  
  
"Yes. She is bent on making Helena suffer for the death of her husband."  
  
"Figures," Helena huffed.  
  
"Helena, she attacked us to get you riled up. She plans to kill you Helena. Twice she came to killing you Helena, but she was right when she said that it was by her choice not to. This time, she's not holding back. She won't settle until you are dead."  
  
Helena was getting more furious, but did not know how to let it out. She continued to listen, trying to think about what she should do.   
  
"Oh god, I forgot! How about Danielle? She'll go after Helena's best friend for sure!"  
  
"I'm on it!" Richard said, as he jumped to his feet and made his way towards the exit.  
  
Reese walked up to Helena and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright, Helena? We're not going to let anything happen to you."  
  
"I think I'm going to be sick to my stomach. I am so helpless, I can't even finish a fight on my own." Helena sat down, rage trying to find a way to release itself. "Barbara, take my bandage off."  
  
"Helena, it's too early. You must let your eyes heal."  
  
"I want to know if I have any hoping of seeing again. Is that possible right now?"  
  
"I guess it is. It's against my better judgment, but okay. Alfred, can you get me…"  
  
"The scissors? Already ahead of you, Master Barbara." Alfred walked up with the scissors in hand.   
  
Barbara was not in her wheelchair, so she knew she wasn't going to be the one cutting the bandage off. Alfred didn't have to be asked as he walked behind Helena, who was stilling sitting on a chair. "Now Helena, close your eyes, and don't open them until I say. If you are going to get some or all of your sight back, the instant release of light after a long period of light will hurt, so keep them shut. When you open your eyes, you may see only light, your vision may be blurry, or tunneled. If any of these three are true, then this is a good sign that you will regain some or all of your sight. That's the best you can expect immediately when you eyes have not had much time to heal. If you don't see anything, then…" Barbara could not get the words out of her mouth.  
  
"Then I'm going to be blind for the rest of my life," Helena finished the sentence for her. Let's do it. 


	6. Fight at the Dark Horse

CHAPTER 6  
  
Barbara took a deep sigh before looking up at Alfred. "Do it, Alfred."  
  
Helena could here the snipping of scissors behind her as pressure of the bandage wrapped around her head and over her eyes lessened. Helena was breathing heavily in nervousness and anxiety. This was the moment of truth. Would she regain her sight? If so, how much, and would she be forced to wear prescription contacts? Would she be blind for the rest of her life? How could she go on living, knowing that she would never again see anything?   
  
Alfred took off the bandage, leaving a large cotton ball covering each eye. Helena's eyes were shut tightly as instructed as Barbara reached out and removed the two cotton balls. Dinah amost felt the need to turn around. The burns across her face was sickening. Her eyebrows were almost pitch black from the soot and burns. Under her eyes were very dark. The white in her eyes was going to stick out very much from all the black skin around the eyes.   
  
"Okay, Helena, I am going to count to three, and then you will open your eyes and tell us what you see. One…two…three!"  
  
Helena's eyes slowly opened. Barbara, Dinah, and Reese stood there in front of her, waiting anxiously for Helena's report. Here eyes did not squint. She blinked her eyes a few times, before shutting them again tightly for a few seconds and reopening them. There was an eerie silence as no one said anything, though they all wanted Helena to say something.   
  
Helena said nothing; and she really didn't have to. Her eyes quickly swelled up and became watery. Barbara closed her eyes and looked downward, trying her best not to show any emotions in front of the other.  
  
"What's wrong? What does this mean?" Dinah voice became cracked. She already knew, but she could form no other words as tears strolled down her face.  
  
Helena could not hold her emotions back, as she began to weep. Reese rushed to Helena and held her tightly. Helena returned his tight squeeze as she wept on his shoulder.  
  
Barbara finally looked back up, with streams of tears rolling down the sides of her cheeks. She had failed; the damage was just too great to repair. Alfred came from behind and placed a hand on her shoulder and the other on Dinah, who had turned around to cry away from everyone.   
  
* * * *   
  
Richard went as Nightwing to the Dark Horse Bar formerly known as No Man's Land. From what Richard was told, the upstairs was shop full of collectables, but the bar downstairs was underground that only Meta-humans were allowed in and knew about. From what he heard, after Harley Quinn nearly brought the city into chaos, the existence of meta-humans slowly began to spread, though many still don't believe in the rumors. However the law enforcement here in Gotham took the rumors seriously and had shut down No Man's Land.  
  
According to Helena, Danielle convinced the governor to allow her to reopen and establish a meta only bar, as a safe haven for the innocent Meta-humans. This all took place shortly before the arrival of Commissioner O'Reiley, who has consistently paid the bar a visit, probably because of his suspicion of her being involved with the Huntress.  
  
Richard entered the front door and he found himself in an empty bar, as the bar was getting ready to open. There was no more need of the shop to hide the bar so the collectible shop had been shut down, and the top floor was remodeled to be the bar while the downstairs was more of a storage space.  
  
Danielle was prepping the bar up, getting ready to open the bar. She looked up to see Richard entering the bar. "Hi, Mr. Greyson! What brings you back to new Gotham?"   
  
"Hello Danielle. It's good to see you again," Richard said with a smile as he approached the bar.  
  
"I bet Barbara is happy to see you again so soon."  
  
"I heard about what has taken place with her and with Helena so I came to pay a visit. Anyway, don't bother opening the bar tonight. Come with me back to the clock tower immediately."  
  
"Why? Did something further happen to Helena?"  
  
"No, but you are in danger."  
  
"More danger than either of you realize," a feminine voice came from the front door. Richard turned around to see a very beautiful woman with blood-red hair that was perfectly smooth and straight that went down to the nap of her neck.   
  
"Not you again," Danielle said with great distress.  
  
"You must be Raven," Richard said.  
  
Raven grinned. "That's me. So, my little bar tender, we meet again. It looks like your ribs have healed up pretty well." Danielle hissed. Raven laughed at her mockingly. "I knew disguising myself would be pointless since you have the power of knowing when people lie by feeling the beating of their hearts so I just came as I am."  
  
"So you dug of Inferno just to use his powers to blind the Huntress. What's the matter, are you afraid to take her on one on one?"  
  
"I don't know who the hell you are, but I will enjoy kicking your ass." Raven leaped at Richard, swinging her right leg over her leg in mid air to kick in across the face. Richard was taken by surprise by her quickness and swiftness, and the kick across his face sent him crashing into a pool table.   
  
Danielle and Raven were once again standing opposite from each other. The last time they fought, Raven threw her over the bar and into all her beer glasses that were lined up in front of her mirror. Two ribs were broken from that. This was one rematch she had wanted to stay away from.  
  
Raven attacked first doing a high kick, for Danielle's neck. Danielle raised her right arm to block the kick and kicked Raven in the gut, sending her stumbling backwards a step or two. Danielle was not in the mood to drag this fight out so she spun around, grabbed one of the thick glass beer mugs and as she spun back around, threw it at Raven. Raven timed her kick perfectly and kicked it with the flat of her foot, causing the mug to shatter in several large pieces.  
  
Raven leaped at Danielle, stretching out her left foot to implant the flat of her foot into her face. Danielle cart wheeled to her right, avoiding contact with Raven.  
  
Danielle was in position before Raven recovered back into position, so she took the advantage and kicked her in the back of her neck with her ankle. Raven nearly fell flat on her face but stepped forward to keep her balance. Danielle jumped behind Raven, hoping to ram her into the bar. She went to grab Raven by the collar of her shirt, but stuck her right hand behind her and caught the Danielle's hand. Raven stepped aside and kicked back at Danielle's ankle, throwing her left leg of the ground. Raven caught Danielle before she fell, leaving her stumbling on one foot. Before Danielle could bring her foot back down, Raven pushed her violently into the bar, causing her to hit her head on the bar before falling onto the ground.  
  
Richard came running up from behind Raven and spun Raven around to punch her in the face. Raven caught his fist with both hands, pulled him downward and violently kicked upward, kicking him in the chest. "You are old and outdated. It's time for you to retire." As she said that, her body began to morph into the form of Dinah. "Of all the heroes I have encountered, the one that intrigues me the most is that young brat Dinah. She has the potential to be the most powerful meta-human the world has ever seen. She has powers locked inside of her that she is yet to discover; however that doesn't mean that I can't take full advantage of those powers."  
  
Raven, now in the form of Dinah, concentrated hard on Richard and suddenly, Richard began to scream in agony, grabbing his head. Somehow, Raven was using some sort of psychic attack, attacking his brain. The pain was incredible as the sharp, piercing attack on his brain continued. Blood began to drip from his nose and ears. "I was surprised to find that a meta-human, especially a young bitch like Dinah, can have more than one meta-powers. After I kill the Huntress, I will have to kill her and make sure that she never becomes this powerful."  
  
A tapping on her shoulder caused Raven to turn around to find Danielle standing there, grabbing hold of her cute white tank top with a heart stitched into the shirt over her chest. "Shut the hell up already!" She swung Raven around and threw her towards the large glass window. She crashed through the window and fell onto the sidewalk with thousands of shattered pieces of glass falling on top of her.  
  
Raven stood up and brushed herself off before returning to her own form. "I'm tired of this. You can do whatever it takes to protect Helena Kyle, but there is no stopping me from having my revenge. The Huntress will not live to the end of the next forty-eight hours." Raven ran off and disappeared.  
  
Danielle turned around and helped Richard to his feet. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I'll be okay. I totally underestimated her powers and ability. She is way much tougher than I had given her credit for. I'm not sure even Bruce could stop someone this relentless."  
  
"She's planning to kill Helena?" Danielle asked, feeling as if she had been left out of the loop of another important message.  
  
"I'll explain it on the way back to the clock tower. Right now, we have to find a way to protect Helena long enough for us to find a way to stop Raven." 


	7. Solitude

CHAPTER 7  
  
Barbara had rushed Richard to examine his brain and ear drums for any damage. When he and Danielle came to the clock tower, Barbara had rushed to the first aid kit, glad to see them both still alive. After the reunion, Barbara had insisted checking for damage to his brain and ear drums. "Thank heavens there is no damage that I could see. How did this happen?"  
  
Richard looked around to see if Dinah was near by. When he saw that she was not, he commenced explaining to her what had happened. "She morphed into Dinah, and used some psychic or telepathy attack."  
  
"How can that be? Dinah does not contain any telepathy or psychic powers."  
  
"She says something about Dinah having hidden powers that are yet to be unlocked. She says that Dinah has multiple meta powers and she was going to be one of the most powerful meta-humans in New Gotham.  
  
This was news to Barbara. "There are no signs of any of this right now. I'll have to keep a close eye on her."  
  
"So where is Helena anyway? I have not seen her since I came back." Richard noticed the hurt in Barbara eyes when he mentioned Helena. "What's wrong? Did something happen while I was out?"  
  
"We took the bandages off of Helena to find out if she would regain her sight or not."  
  
"You're not saying what I think you're saying are you?"  
  
Barbara nodded. "Helena is blind. Her eyes had taken to much damage to repair."  
  
"How is she taking it?"  
  
"Not very well at all. She and Reese cried together before she went up to her room and had not come out since. She wants to be left alone. She's gone into solitude."  
  
Reese sighed, not sure what to say or do. "Bruce was the same way after Bane broke his back. She is like her father and would go to solitude."  
  
"I really don't know what to say to her. She seems to be shutting me out of her life."  
  
"If she is just like her father, it will not be easy to get her to allow us back into her life."  
  
* * * *  
  
  
  
Helena sat on a chair on the second level in front of the railing. Her walking stick was laying beside her. Her black sunglasses covered her damaged skin surrounding her eyes. If she could see, she would be looking down through the metal railing to the first floor towards the metal platform. Her face showed no emotion.  
  
"Helena?" Dinah cautiously approached Helena. Helena didn't reply or move an inch almost as if she could not hear her. "You haven't eaten all day. I brought you a turkey sandwich."  
  
"I'm not hungry," Helena replied.  
  
"I made it myself. Just the way you like it."  
  
"I don't want your stupid sandwich, now go away!" Helena snapped.   
  
Dinah turned around and ran to the kitchen sobbing. She ran past Barbara as she threw the sandwich, plate and all, into the sink before disappearing. Barbara controlled her wheelchair towards Helena. "That was not necessary, Helena."  
  
"I want to be left alone," Helena said, her voice calm and mild once again.  
  
"Helena, cutting us from your life is not going to solve anything."  
  
"Spare me that 'you've been through it' lecture. I've heard it one too many times." Helena did not turn her head towards her.   
  
"Helena, we want to help you. There's a dangerous villain out there trying to kill you. This is no time for you to lock yourself into solitude."  
  
"Let her come and kill me. I rather be dead than go on without my sight."  
  
That one comment pushed the one button in Barbara that could release her anger. "Damn you, Helena. I'm not going to sit here and watch you kill yourself"  
  
"Then go away and leave me alone! Do you hear me, just leave me alone!" Helena screamed in a way Barbara had never heard her scream before.   
  
Barbara gave up and said not another word as she turned her wheelchair around. Reese was standing there, having heard the conversation. Barbara looked up at Reese but said nothing as she controlled her wheelchair past him. Reese looked at Helena firmly as he walked up to her. "Who the hell do you think you are? They are your friends who you just drove off. They are doing their best to protect you, because they love you!"  
  
"If you have been listening into our conversations, then you would have heard that I rather be dead right now then go on with life blind."  
  
"Stop it, Helena! You are just feeling sorry for yourself, and that is not the Helena Kyle I know. The Helena Kyle I know would stand up and kick the ass of the one who did t his to her."  
  
"Well, that Helena Kyle can no longer defend herself, and because of which, she deserves to die."  
  
"Damn it, Helena, don't you even care about me? If you are killed, how do you think I would feel? Don't you even care?"  
  
"Why should anyone care that a helpless blind woman dies. That makes one less burden for everyone. It'll make everyone's life a little easier. It'll you're your life easier with out me."  
  
Reese felt like a knife piercing his heart. Reese was deeply wounded by that comment. He could not believe that she could even be that cold to question his love for her. "If you think that you would be making my life easier by you dying, then you are questioning my love you. After all we've been through, do you really believe that?" Helena made no reply nor showed any emotion. "Then our relationship has all been for nothing."  
  
Reese turned around and walked off, not once looking back towards Helena. Helena remained in her chair. Tears strolled down from the side of her face but she made no effort to stop him. 


	8. Infiltration

CHAPTER 8  
  
Barbara, Richard, and Alfred had gone out, leaving Dinah alone to guard the clock tower and Helena. Where they had gone, she had no idea; they didn't say anything to her, neither did she ask. She was happy that Barbara finally had the confidence to handle a major task like this, but at the same time, she really was not thrilled to be left alone with Helena right then. Helena had said some pretty mean words to her, and right now, she did not want to even speak with her.  
  
She was only trying to help her, but instead, she threw it back in her face. That hurt Dinah deeply. She would keep an eye on Helena, but right now, she had no desire to talk to her. She was sitting on a chair that she had pulled up to the metal platform, and watching the security video to make sure Raven did not get in.   
  
A loud crashing came from her and Helena's bedroom. "Helena?" Dinah jumped out of her seat. She ran a few steps and jumped onto the desk and from there jumped high into the air, almost as if she could fly and nearly in the same way Helena was able to do it. She landed on the second level and ran into the room where she saw Helena sitting on the floor, with broken glass all around. It looked like Helena had a glass in her hand when she tripped. Now her right wrist was bleeding profusely. She made no effort in getting up, she remained sitting on the floor, weeping.  
  
"Helena, are you all right?" Dinah knelt down besides Helena. "Don't help me, I don't deserve it, not after the way I treated you."  
  
Seeing Helena this broken broke her heart. It was impossible not to forgive her for what she had said to her. "Helena, it's all right. You're going through a hard time. Let me nurse your wounds before they get infected."  
  
"It's not all right. I've been so selfish."  
  
"Helena, what's wrong?" Dinah asked.  
  
"He's gone, Dinah. Reese is gone. I drove him away and now he's gone."  
  
"I'm sure Reese will forgive you. You two have a strong relationship to have it ruined this quickly."  
  
"I don't know. I said some pretty awful things. Why would he ever consider forgiving me."  
  
"Helena, you're bleeding pretty bad. I need to get you bandaged up."  
  
The next thing they knew the window above them shattered as Raven came flying over them and landed on the other side of them. She stood there, with her legs apart, dressed in her torn leather jacket over a red tank top and a pair of black jeans. Her long blood-red hair went down to her shoulders as they remembered. Dinah could swear that she could see flames in Raven's eyes. "You're time is up, Huntress. It's time for you to die."  
  
"Over my dead body!" Dinah replied, helping Huntress to her feet.  
  
"I have come here to see both of your dead bodies. You because you are becoming to powerful of a meta-human and you, Huntress, for killing my husband."  
  
"Ain't life a bitch!" Helena replied.  
  
"You'll have to get through me first!" Dinah stepped forward.  
  
Raven instantly morphed into Dinah's doppelganger as Dinah reached down to her powers and tried throw her up against the wall. Raven countered her attack with her copied powers resulting in a stalemate.   
  
Dinah lunged at Raven with her right fist but Raven leaned to her left, and as Dinah's arm went past her, Raven raised up her right let and kicked Dinah in the neck sending her crashing into the corner of the room.  
  
Helena knew the thud she heard was Dinah's failed attempted to take out Raven. She raised up her walking stick and began to walk forward as she swung her walking stick. Raven laughed as she caught the stick in the palm of her hand and ripped it out of Helena's hand. She raised the stick horizontally and then brought it down violently on her knee, causing the walking stick to snap in half. "Poor old Huntress, she is blind and is helpless to defend herself. I'll make your pain slow and agonizing."  
  
"Damn you!" Helena charted towards the direction of Raven's voice. Raven quietly stepped aside and allowed Helena charge past her, swinging wildly. Raven turned around and pushed her out the door leading out of the room. Raven morphed back into her own body.   
  
Helena turned around and listened carefully to see if she could find out where Raven is. Unfortunately, she was not able to solely depend on her hearing yet. Raven kicked her with the flat of her right foot into her gut, sending her stumbling back to the railing. She hit the railing with such force, her body flipped over the metal railing and began to fall.  
  
Raven was anticipating her falling to her death, but instead, half way down, she stopped in mid air and slowly began to float downward safely to the first level. Raven turned around to see Dinah standing there reaching out and using her powers to safely guide Helena to the ground.  
  
"Damn, you are an annoying little girl!"  
  
"You have no idea!" Dinah used her powers to throw Raven up and over the railing.   
  
She began to fall with her back towards the ground before she righted herself and landed on her feet. She looked up at her with an evil grin. "I'm going to enjoy killing you!"  
  
Dina ran towards the railing and jumped over, stretching her arms out horizontally almost as if using her arms like wings. Dinah landed a few feet away from Raven, with her fists in front of her, ready to fight.   
  
Raven attacked first, leaping towards Dinah. Dinah used her powers to freezer her in mid air. Raven morphed back into Dinah's body and used her powers to free herself and landed in front of Dinah.  
  
Dinah went to punch Raven in the nose, but instead she found herself being lifted up by Raven's copied powers. Raven used her copied powers to throw Dinah into the top floor railing before coming crashing down to the ground. Raven morphed backed into her own body as she turned to face Helena who was desperately reaching out for something that could help her know where she was and regain her composure. Raven walked up to Helena with a grin on her face. She enjoyed watching Helena's desperation.  
  
Raven violently kicked Helena across the face and Helena stumbled away from the metal platform. Helena kept her footing, swinging wildly in front of her. "You are pathetic!" Raven kicked Helena in the ribs and Helena cringed, holding her ribs with her arms.   
  
"So how does it feel, Huntress to be totally helpless and know that you are about to die!" Raven slapped Helena across the face with the back of her left hand. Helena was thrown to the ground, her lip busted open.   
  
Helena struggled to her hands and knees. Raven walked up to her side and grabbed her shirt. With all her strength she picked her off the ground and threw her across the room. She flew over the computers and landed on the metal platform. "This has worked out better than I could have hoped for." Raven slowly walked towards the metal platform. Before she made it to the platform, Dinah had leaped over her to land on the platform besides Helena. When she arrived to the platform, Helena's sun glasses were crushed, and she was barely able to sit up. Dinah knelt besides Helena looking up at Raven. "There is nothing to save you two now." 


	9. The Huntress Returns

CHAPTER 9  
  
Raven laughed mockingly at the two of them. "This is more fun than I could have hoped for."  
  
Helena lip was bloody, and she was almost certain that a rib was broken. She didn't know if she would be able to get up fast enough to defend herself, as much good that would do her when she was blind. Helena fought the pain to try to sit up. Dinah placed her hands on her arm, wanting to keep her down. Dinah was going to protect Helena even if it meant her dying to save her.   
  
Helena began to feel very strange the moment her hands touched the skin of her arm. It was a feeling that she could not describe since she had felt nothing like it before in her life. The pain in her ribs began to subside. She felt new strength coming over her. Helena blinked her eyes. The blackness had turned into a tunnel vision. There was a small circle blurriness surrounded by the blackness. The blurriness began to push back the blackness until finally all there was was a giant blur. From there, the blurriness began to become more clearer until she could see clearly. She could See Raven slowly approaching them. Her sight had returned. She looked in the corner of her eye towards Dinah and saw her hands touching her arm. She could see a golden light emanating from her hands.  
  
"So who's going to die first?" Raven asked.   
  
Dinah went to stand up to prepare to fight Raven when Helena leaped up and landed in front of Raven. She spun around to her right and kicked Raven in the side of her head with her left leg. Raven stumbled onto the right computer station. Raven stood up and rubbed the side of her face with an angry look on her face.  
  
"If you think you can kill me, then take me first!" Helena grinned.  
  
Something was different about the Huntress. Both she and Dinah knew it. Raven lunged at Helena with fury in her eyes. She went to punch Helena in the face, but she raised up her left arm and blocked the attack. Raven leaned back and tried to kick Helena in the face, but Helena ducked under the kick, and kicked Raven behind the knee cap on the one leg she was standing on, causing her to fall onto her back.   
  
Dinah watched amazed. How could Helena be fighting like this when she was supposed to be blind? What happened to Helena? Raven turned to her stomach and pushed herself up onto her feet before turning to face Helena. "I don't know how, but you can see! You're not blind anymore!"  
  
Helena grinned, as she wiped the blood from her lower lip. "I can see you as clear as day. The Huntress has returned."  
  
"I suppose it doesn't really matter. You have never been able to take me on even at perfect health. I'll just end up getting a better work out."  
  
"Bring it on, Bitch!" Helena replied.   
  
Raven jumped onto the computer station behind her and the leaped backwards, high up to land on the second floor near the kitchen. Helena turned to look at Dinah. "Stay out of this, Dinah. This is between her and me!" Helena ran and jumped onto the computer station and took a flying leap onto the second level near the kitchen as well. Raven Spun to her right, doing a spin kick for her face, but Helena did a spin kick in the opposite direction and their ankles met between the two of them. Both women lowered their legs as Raven did two consecutive back flips into the kitchen area. Helena chased her into the kitchen area. Helena went in for that attack with her first. She swung for Raven's face, but she leaned to her right and did a cartwheel up onto the kitchen island, where she caught Helena unprepared and kicked her across the face. Helena stumbled backwards until she was leaning up against the railing.  
  
Raven hopped off the Island and ran at Helena. She went for a jab to the right, but Helena stepped aside to avoid the punch. She turned to face Raven and kicked her across the back.  
  
Raven grimaced in pain as she turned around with an angry look towards Helena. Raven morphed into Inferno and she raised her right arm, pointing her palm at Helena. Helene knew what was about to happen so she jumped high into the air and cart wheeled over the railing as a beam of fire launched from the palm of Raven's hand.   
  
Helena landed on her feet just before the metal platform. Helena knew that Raven would have to morph back into her own body to be able to leap down onto the first level. As she had expected, Raven did just that and landed directly in front of Helena. Helena jumped at Raven, with her right foot stuck out in front of her, hoping to sticking the flat of her foot into her chest. Raven caught Helena's ankles and swung her around threw her onto the metal platform. The wind was knocked out of her, as she struggled to get back to her feet.  
  
Seeing Helena in trouble, Dinah jumped in to take on Raven next. Dinah jumped onto the computer station and over the head of Raven. Raven watched Dinah as she flew over her head and landed behind her. Dinah went with a high kick to Raven's neck, but Raven saw it coming and blocked her kick with her left arm. Raven grinned as she began to morph once again. Dinah's jaw dropped as she morphed into Barbara Gordon. "How do you feel about fighting with Oracle?"  
  
Raven took advantage of the stunned Dinah by delivering a powerful punch into Dinah's jaw. Dinah stumbled to her right a few steps, leaving her wide open for another attack by Raven. Raven violently grabbed Dinah by her arm and twisting it behind her back. Dinah squealed in pain. "You are out of your league, brat!" Raven grinned. Raven morphed into Dinah and then used the powers that came with the body to help her throw Dinah into the wall.   
  
A loud crashing came from behind her. Raven spun around to see Nightwing having broken down the front door. Nightwing charged at Raven. Still morphed as Dinah, she grinned as she used her telepathic powers to pierce his mind once again, yet somehow it didn't seem to work this time. "What the hell?"  
  
Her shock distracted her long enough for Nightwing to deliver a punch across the face. "You trick didn't work on me this time, did it? Before coming here, I took a pill that protects my mind from your telepathic attacks."  
  
"Oh, very cute," Raven said sarcastically. Her body morphed once again; this time she became Inferno. She raised a hand an fired a pillar of fire at Nightwing. He leaped high into the air, avoiding the fire. He grabbed something from his black utility belt, and threw it down into the fire. There came a giant steam cloud from the fire before the pillar of fire was instantly extinguished.   
  
"Damn, you are annoying!" Raven growled. Raven morphed into Helena's body before attacking Nightwing with a series of punches and kicks. Nightwing, at first, was able to block all the attacks, but then her attacks increased in speed. She quickly overcame with a kick in the chest, which sent him flying across the room, crashing in the computer station.  
  
Raven grinned as she returned to her own body. Before she could attack Nightwing, Helena came jumping over the computer station for another round. Helena did a spin kick, trying to kick Raven in the chest, but she bent over backwards to the point of her hands touching the floor that her kick missed all together, causing her to stumble trying to regain her posture. Raven shot back up with lightning quick speed, and did a spin kick herself, hitting Helena in the neck, resulting in her spiraling horizontally, rapidly before hitting the ground.  
  
The sound of a window shattering from the second floor caused Raven to look up to the kitchen on the second on the floor. Leaping over the railing was Danielle. Raven saw her just in time to back flip away from her. "So, the four of you against me? I'm up to the challenge!"  
  
Danielle went to kick Raven in the Knee caps, but Raven leaped over her kick, and while in mid air, kicked Danielle across the face, causing her to fall onto her back. Helena was back up on to her feet, and used the distraction to put the flat of her foot into Raven's back. Raven yelped as she turned around and went to kick Helena in the face. Helena blocked the kick with both of her hands. Helena went in for a punch, but Raven, surprisingly, caught Helena's fist in her left palm. This opened Helena up for a kick underneath her chin. Helena fell backwards, dazed and confused.  
  
Dinah jumped in to continue where Danielle and Helena had started. When Raven saw what Dinah about to use her powers, she leapt as high as she could, avoiding the bluish tint of the invisible force that Dinah launched at her. Raven landed behind Dinah and high kicked Dinah, causing Dinah to fall violently to her left.   
  
Raven had no time to breath, and she duck just in time to avoid Nightwing's foot from kicking her in the back of her head. Raven jumped and leaped over to the center of the platform, facing the giant clock. Nightwing joined her on the giant metal platform where the two of them went back and forth with punched and kicks. Nightwing went for a high kick and Raven back flipped, only using one hand on the ground to finish her flip. As she was about to land on her feet, She saw Nightwing take a step towards her. She bounced off the ground straight up to kick Nightwing in the neck, causing him to crash into the computer station to Raven's Right.  
  
Raven looked to her left to see Danielle in mid air, leaping towards Raven. She instantly morphed into Dinah and used her copied power to rip one of the computer screens from the station and send it flying towards Danielle. Danielle could not get out of the way and it hit her in the gut, bringing her down to the ground abruptly. "This is pathetic, I can take all four of you on! And you call yourselves heroes."  
  
"Enough!" A voice came from the from where the front door used to be. Raven turned around and there was Oracle, aka Barbara Gordon. 


	10. Relationship on the Line

CHAPTER 10  
  
Raven laughed. "How do you think you can stop me?" Raven approached Barbara. "You think you can beat me up in your wheelchair? What a joke!"  
  
Barbara grabbed her cane, and pushed herself up out of the chair onto her feet. She was using her device to be able to stand and walk on her own two feet. Raven saw her stand to her feet and laughed. "So, you have your little contraption on, I see. No matter, you are no match for me." Raven went for a punch to Barbara, but she used her cane to block the punch. Barbara kicked Raven square in the chest, sending her stumbling backwards. Raven was about to attack, but then everyone began to gather next to Barbara. Dinah, Danielle and Nightwing stood by her as Barbara sat back in her chair. Helena was the last to join the group with smile on her face. Her lower lip was still bleeding and swollen. "So you think you can take all five of us now?" Helena smiled. "It looks like your plan has backfired back into your face."  
  
Raven looked at the group of heroes standing in front of her for a second before taking a flying leap backwards up onto the second floor. "You have lucked out this time, Huntress, but make no mistake, I will be back to kill you!" Raven ran back into Helena's and Dinah's room where she jumped out the window and disappeared.  
  
* * * *   
  
Dr. Maxwell was there alone with Barbara at the balancing beams. It was time for her to do more exercise. "It's time for you to take your first baby steps on your own strength. You have the strength to be able to stand completely on you won, but now it's time we begin to get you walking again. Are you ready?"  
  
Barbara smiled. She had been ready for this for a long time, and now it was finally time to take her fist steps. "I'm ready. Let's do it." Barbara said as she grabbed hold of the two poles for support as she stood up.  
  
"Now, nice as easy. Take small, baby steps."  
  
The strain on Barbara's face showed the amount of strength she was putting into this. Her right foot moved forward a few inches, before she slowly put her weight on it. She then was able to move her left foot a few inches. She had put so much strength into this, her strength was zapped, and she nearly collapsed. Dr. Maxwell caught her.   
  
"You took two steps today! That's very good! You've worked very hard and you are now starting to see results from your hard work. It won't be much longer before you will be able to do this without collapsing. That's our next goal."  
  
* * * *   
  
Commissioner O'Reiley had come to visit Harley in Arkham Asylum. Harley was always pleased to be paid a visit from Bane. Bane had a serious look on his face on this visit. "What's wrong, love?"  
  
"As I had feared, Raven has become uncontrollable. Her rage has take control over her. She had tried to kill Helena and almost found herself captured. She has become too reckless to keep alive."  
  
"I don't think that is necessary as of yet. I think we can use her attitude for our benefit. Besides, we need her to continue to make her morphing formula."  
  
"Which she will not be able to do if she is apprehended," Bane reminded her.  
  
"I don't think we have to worry about that. Yes, she is the daughter of Clay Face, whom he disowned when she nearly murdered him. Her fighting skills are beyond anything I have ever seen. It is rumored that her fighting techniques were learned under the training to become an assassin. I think she can take care of herself."  
  
"She better," Bane replied. "If she is caught, I'll kill her myself."  
  
* * * *  
  
Reese was walking home after getting off of work. He was not in the best of moods, and he wanted to walk home to give him more time to think. He had walked past an alleyway when Helena slowly stepped out of the alley. "Helena? What are you doing out here? If you're seen out here with me…" Reese cut himself off in mid-sentence. "Wait a minute, you're eyes? You're not blind anymore."  
  
"I can see again," Helena replied. "Reese, I owe you a very big apology. I was being so selfish, when I was blind. I'm over that, now. Please forgive me for what I said to you."  
  
Reese closed his eyes tightly and turned his back on her. There was a moment of painful silence between the two of them before Reese finally responded. "You questioned my loyalty and my love for you, Helena. That hurt more than you will ever realize."  
  
"I am so sorry," Helena replied with watery eyes. She took a step forwards and put a hand on his shoulder. Instantly, he shrugged her hand off his shoulder. "Reese…"  
  
"I understand and am sympathetic for what you were going through. I wanted to be there for you and help you, but you shrugged me off. I thought we had a stronger relationship than that. If something goes wrong, are you going to shrug me off every time something happens to you?"  
  
Helena looked down at her feet, giving no reply. "That's not a relationship, Helena. It's not a relationship I can live with. I think, right now, the best thing for the both of us is spend some apart from each other and figure out what we do want."  
  
Reese walked away without looking back. Helena stood there, heartbroken as tears streamed down from her eyes. Just like that, their relationship had been put on hold.   
  
* * * *  
  
Helena stood on the ledge outside the clock, looking down at the city of New Gotham. She had been weeping all day since her and Reese's separation. Her solitude was interrupted by Barbara, Dinah, and Danielle who joined her on the ledge. "How are you doing?" Danielle asked. The three of them heard about the separation and were concerned about Helena.  
  
"I miss him. My life feels empty without him," Helena said mournfully.  
  
Barbara pushed herself out of the wheelchair to stand up and reach out to Helena. Barbara hugged Helena tightly. "It will be alright, between the two of you. Just give it some time."  
  
"I hope you're right," Helena sniffled as the two of them let go and Barbara sat back down into her wheelchair.   
  
"One thing I am confused about. What happened to give you your sight back?" Danielle asked.  
  
"I touched Helena and she just seemed to get her sight back," Dinah answered for Helena. "That must be what Jeff did to me? He must have somehow transferred his powers to me."  
  
Barbara knew that had to be the only explanation. From what Dinah had told Barbara, Jeff said that she had so much potential. Did he sense that she has the telepathic powers which Raven has claimed she did? If what Reese said to her was true, her telepathic powers are now starting to emerge. Of course, at the time, Reese and Helena thought nothing of it. Only Barbara and Richard knew about Dinah's hidden powers, and now she has come to aquire another. Indeed, Dinah was on her way to become one of the most meta-humans that Barbara has ever seen, but maybe that was why Jeff gave her his powers, so she would remember him and help her keep on the straight path. "Well, whatever it was, we're happy for you Helena that you have your sight back. Things can get back to normal around here once again, and it couldn't have happened at a better time."  
  
"I can't believe Raven was able to take on four of us at one time. If she's that strong, how can we ever stop her?" Dinah asked.  
  
"There is a very deep mystery surrounding Raven right now. How she became so good fighting is something we may need to know. We may want to check in on her history. You two will need to be very careful. She is going to try to find a time that you two are alone before attacking again. You two will need to keep your eyes open at all times. She is more dangerous now than ever before now that she is bent on revenge for the death of her husband."  
  
THE END  
  
THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUES…3 MORE STORIES BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE 3 PART SERIES FINALLY.  
  
COMING SOON…  
  
BARBARA'S GREATEST FEAR IS ABOUT TO BECOME A REALITY, AS DINAH'S NEW POWERS EMERGE IN FULL FORCE, WHILE A VOODOO WITCH PLANS TO USE DINAH AND HER NEW POWERS TO DESTROY HELENA AND BARBARA  
  
EPISODE 6: THINK NO EVIL, DO NO EVIL 


End file.
